Cold
by Elessar King
Summary: Perhaps, when she volunteered to accompany the Treasury’s investment, she should have heeded the warning more. Casino Royale, BondVesper


I don't normally like writing "missing scene" fics, just because…I don't. But this one popped in my head and I didn't want to leave it since I was having such a hard time writing anything in this fandom to begin with. This occurs on the night of the infamous shower scene from Casino Royale.

Cold

She woke with a thin sheen of sweat on her body that was huddled under the thin blankets and silky sheets of the hotel room. It was the second time she had woken with her heart pounding and her stomach churning. No matter what she tried, Vesper Lynd couldn't get the images of the dead men out of her head. She knew she wouldn't sleep.

It was 4:30; the most sleep she had gotten so far this night had been a half hour. She had never been so disturbed in her entire life. Not by anything. Perhaps, when she volunteered to accompany the Treasury's investment, she should have heeded the warning more. This was a dangerous assignment, and she had been warned plenty in advance that Bond was a cold, dark and detached man that would get the job done at what ever cost.

But what she had been told and what she found was entirely different. On the train, as she looked into those blue eyes accompanied by that vaguely amused smile as she rattled off all that she could see about him from insight, she saw that maybe down there, deep inside, was what remained of a soul. Had she not been entirely out of sorts, she would have been surprised by his comforting manner earlier, as they both sat in the luke warm water of the shower. It had been the only time she felt safe, in his arms then.

It wasn't even that she had seen two men killed. They had been trying to kill her, and Bond. It made her check the lock twice on the door of her room in their suite. But when she closed her eyes, she saw blood and death. When she opened them, she saw shadows of fear.

Slowly, Vesper slid out from under the silken sheets of Hotel Splendide and silently padded across the floor. With wide blue eyes, she slowly unlocked her door and opened it, peeking into the still front room. Vesper shivered lightly and looked back to her bed, quickly pulling off one of the blankets to wrap about her shoulders, almost more for security than warmth.

The door to Bond's bedroom was cracked open and as she came closer, she could see the faint moonlight filtering in from the large balcony windows. As quietly as she could, she eased the door open and looked in on his room.

The translucent curtains only vaguely masked the moonlight that sprawled across the room. One of the blankets was neatly folded at the foot of the bed, while the others covered the figure that lay on his side, facing the window. Bond lay still, his bare arm on top of the covers, while his other was bent underneath his head on top of the thick pillows.

She could see the slight movement of his breathing as she watched from the doorway. Vesper felt that perhaps she shouldn't disturb him. She felt very much like a child, awaken by a storm in the middle of the night, and seeking refuge with her parents – since, as Bond's first instinct was, she was an only child. Biting her lip, she took a few steps into the room, to at least see if he was asleep.

Though her bare footsteps were silent, Bond's head moved slightly and he twisted, leaning up on his elbow to face her, one hand having slipped under the pillows. His features softened some in realization that it was only her. "Vesper," he whispered in the darkness, "Is something wrong?"

She hesitated slightly, then felt even more like the child. "I um.. couldn't sleep," she replied, with a small nervous laugh, but her smile faded some, "I-… every time I close my eyes, I see them… or I'm afraid someone is coming in to get me." She sighed softly, feeling very vulnerable and weak in his eyes, "I couldn't sleep."

Bond sat up further, letting the sheets fall off of his bare muscular chest, and reached up to rub a hand through his short blond hair, messing it up even more than it already was – almost as if to give the illusion that he had been sleeping. But Vesper had a feeling that he hadn't been either. "I locked all the doors," he replied after a moment, "These balconies…would be inconvenient to use either coming in or going out, so there isn't too much to worry about there… If anyone came in, they'd have to get past me anyway."

A small smile crossed her face. There was that ego again, that invincible ego. He had almost been killed earlier, yet…he acted just as if nothing had happened. She could even see the evidence of the fight on his chest – the bandage, the bruise.

Bond watched her for a moment, "What else do you want me to do, Vesper?" His tone wasn't impatient, but merely calm, and curious. Almost as if he wanted to help. But she imagined, just as she had known that he hadn't truly been asleep, that he probably didn't want to help either.

It made her hesitate more. But with what little courage she had left, she walked over to his bed. "Do you…mind if I stay here? I guess, it might help me feel safer," she whispered.

One blond eyebrow raised slightly and a smirk tugged at the edge of his lips, "And you were the one who wanted a two-bedroom suite, for your family's religion, Miss Broadchest-…"

"Don't…get any ideas, Bond," she interrupted, folding her arms, "I'm here because I'm scared, not because I'm sleeping with you."

The amused look on his face faded to nothing. He stared at her for a long moment, in which, Vesper had no idea what he was thinking. She felt vulnerable again in his eyes – stripped, as though he could see inside of her. Vesper shifted slightly uncomfortably, pulling the blanket closer around her.

Finally, Bond nodded, pushing the covers back for her and moving over to one side, "I'll sleep on the floor."

He started to get out of bed, but her hand on his arm stopped him. "No," she whispered, pleading quietly with her eyes, "Please stay."

The stare, again. "If that's what you want," he replied softly.

Vesper nodded. She wouldn't tell him that he made her feel safe. She didn't want to inflate that ego any more than it already was. Slowly, she took the blanket from around her shoulders and placed it on the bed, and slipped inside the cold sheets. It wasn't terribly cold, but Vesper was freezing – shivering, as she lay on her side, facing away from him.

There was silence for a long moment, and Bond watched her – well, the back of her head. His initial reaction to working with a woman had not been a particularly good one, since the idea that this sort of thing would happened crossed his mind several times. She was beautiful, smart, strong…a good woman. But she panicked, and now here she was.

Panic, fear…emotions…were not an option for him. Nor for anyone around him. Mathis, he was different, he was used to this work, but they had sent him an inexperienced woman. It was the worst possible situation that he could think of…except that perhaps if they had sent an inexperienced man who panicked, that would be the worst. With a woman involved, there was the hope of sex after the mission – at least, that's what he would have thought normally.

But instead, finding Vesper in the shower, Bond found that he was compelled to hold her in his arms until she stopped shaking. To calm her fears, and the shock of seeing two lives ended. He was attracted to her, in more ways than just for physical pleasure. He wanted to see her safe, and take away all those fears. Was this perhaps…love?

Slowly, he inched closer to her, sliding an arm around her waist.

She didn't shy away, almost as if she had expected it, and quietly rested back against him. After a moment, her shivering stopped and she sighed softly, placing a hand on top of his.

"You're safe," Bond whispered, "I won't let anyone in here."

"Thank you," Vesper replied. It took her another few minutes before she risked closing her eyes again. But she found that she was safe in his arms, and her dreams did not consist of death.

Perhaps, thought Bond as he watched her sleep, she was not such a bad thing. He hadn't been sleeping either before she came, but now he did.

When Vesper awoke the next morning, she found the sheets next to her to be empty and cold, and nothing was said – it was as if nothing at all had occurred. She felt mildly disheartened, that this display of kindness and comfort had closed down so quickly, and she found that his armor had returned again. He was cold again. So too, was she.


End file.
